Resonant tunneling emitter quantum mechanically coupled to a vacuum gap

Abstract

A resonant tunneling emitter quantum mechanically coupled to a vacuum gap significantly increases the current level as compared to a Fowler–Nordheim field emitter. In addition, an almost monoenergetic distribution of the emitted electrons produces well resolved oscillations of the tunneling current as a function of the vacuum gap thickness and applied voltage. These effects, which may have potential device applications, are investigated using a simple model.

Structural enhancement mechanism of field emission from multilayer semiconductor films

“…However, when the voltage is higher than 2.2 V, i.e., about 2.0ϫ 10 6 V / cm, the FE current keeps at an almost invariable value and there appear the resonant peaks, which is conceptually close to resonantly-enhanced field emission. Similar theoretical results were also reported for an emitter accumulation layer, [18][19][20][21] and experimental results were observed for FE from a cathode with DLC coating, 21,22 where the emergence of the resonant current peaks might be due to the subband occurring in the QW.…”

Field emission enhancement by the quantum structure in an ultrathin multilayer planar cold cathode

“…However, due to the band bending and the image potential, the band structure is asymmetric in Fig. 1, therefore, field emission tunneling will be more complicated, and the width of the resonant state of field emission depends on the barrier heights and widths as well as the energy level [23][24][25][26]. Considering near a sharp (resonance) maximum, T(E x ) can be simply written as a Lorentzian form [27]:…”

Universal characteristics of resonant-tunneling field emission from nanostructured surfaces

“…1 indeed occurs in our samples 24 . Additional numerical calculations based on previously described methods 10,11,12,13,14 and further modelling of sample electrostatics could yield the bound-state energies and their life-time broadening but these extended studies are beyond the focus of this work.…”

“…These experimental results have stimulated a number of theoretical studies of electron field emission from and through quantum-confined electronic states. 10,11,12,13,14 In this work, we consider a generic system consisting of a bulk semiconductor substrate (S) with a nanostructured surface where nanometer-sized tips ('whiskers') have formed. In addition to the energy barrier between electronic states in the nanostructure (N) and vacuum (V), quantum confinement gives rise to a further barrier at the substrate-nanostructure (S-N) interface.…”